Why I Do Not Include Submissions From A Certain Website In Blog Carnivals

א Hol HaMo'ed Pesah 5772

Although the term "blog," can have a wide range of definitions. The term "blog" is a contraction of "web log." Later on, the term "vlog," a contraction of video log or blog, was introduced.

I like to think that the primary purpose of blogs is disseminate information which the mainstream media, intentionally or unintentionally, does not.

This may include new items which are either missed or distorted, or simply opinions which are not "mainstream."

When a website's purpose is to post a collection of articles related to one or more particular categories, mostly from the mainstream media, and without any commentary on said articles, I do not see the point in including it in a "blog" carnival.

Gathering articles related to a particular topic, and posting them together in one place, may be helpful. After all, if someone else does that, then we don't have to. However, the lack of commentary disqualifies it, in my book, from being included in a collection of posts which do include commentary on current events.

When it is my turn to host the world's largest Jewish and Israel-related blog carnival, Haveil Havalim, I see no point in including posts from one website in particular, a website will not get any additional publicity on this blog, by the inclusion of a link to it, or even its name.

The webmaster in question, whether intentionally or not, owns a front for Haredi and Settler bashing. He gathers together articles from the mainstream media, with the occasional inclusion of an article from a Haredi-sympathetic website.

However, I would gladly include his submissions to Haveil Havalim, if he were to include his take on the media's presentation of current events, EVEN if I disagreed with it.

Until then, I am more like to include posts from David A M Wilensky, than from the webmaster alluded to above, even though we never agree on anything (with the possible exception of issues related to protecting the environment). At least David doesn't make any bones about who is he, what he is, and who or what he isn't.

Until the mysterious webmaster in question begins to interject some of himself into his website, I have no other choice but to assume he is no different than the Haredi and Settler-bashing, so-called "news" sources he gives a voice to.